Sweeney Todd: Before the Demon Emerged
by TheRealSweeneyTodd
Summary: Well, here's my version of what Ben and Nellie were like growing up. It starts when they were ten and continues as they grow up together. Some chapters will be Sweeney instead of Ben. Rated T for language and violence. Please R&R.
1. Remembering Love

**Well here's a little treat for all of my readers. A story about Sweeney and Nellie in their youth. Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this.**

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Sweeney Todd: Before the Demon Emerged

Chapter 1: Remembering Love

London, 1846

Nellie Lovett sat in her bedroom staring at an old photo of her and a man who refused to exist any longer… Benjamin Barker. At the time they were both so happy and carefree; they were just content to spend the day together. Nellie longed to have that man back and have life return to the way it was before he met Lucy all those years ago. Currently, the young man that she had spent so many summers with and considered her best friend was replaced by Sweeney Todd, a man who only had one thing on his mind… revenge. Thinking that she might actually catch him in one of his "good" moods, though they were very seldom seen, Nellie figured that she'd head upstairs to his shop.

Once upstairs, Nellie found Sweeney sitting in his barber chair with his eyes shut. _Is he just thinking or is he actually asleep_, she thought. _Oh, who am I fooling… he has to be thinking. Sweeney Todd doesn't sleep_. Nellie debated the idea of walking just a little bit closer to him just to see if, by some miracle, he was sleeping. Realizing that it might just be safer for her if she left him be; she decided to just leave the room. She started to walk back towards the door and glanced back at the man sitting in the chair. She realized then that the feelings she had for him when they were growing up together were starting to arise once again. _He looks so peaceful sitting there, I can't even look at that and see Mr. T; I look at that and see the Benjamin I used to know._


	2. How it Started

**Well here's the second chapter of my Sweeney and Nellie story. Benjamin is finally in this chapter. Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this.**

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Chapter 2: How It Started

35 Years Before (London, 1811)

Nellie's parents had been telling her for the past few weeks that there were going to be some new tenants moving into the room above the business they owned. She understood completely but she wasn't about to tell her parents that she couldn't care less about their business matters. The only thing that caught her attention about these tenants was that they were a family and not the typical businessman who would stay around for a few months then move onto a new place. She wondered what the family was going to be like and honestly hoped they were nothing like hers. She asked whether they had any children and was told that the couple that was moving in had a son about her age, which came as a real relief to her. Finally there would be someone she could relate to. After finding that out, she simply left the matter alone and waited patiently for the family to arrive.

A few days later Nellie woke up to the sound of her father and another man whose voice she did not recognize. The man introduced his family to her parents but the only part of the sentence Nellie chose to hear was, "… and this is my son, Benjamin." _Guess the new tenants have finally arrived, best go out and introduce myself to the son_, she thought. She got one of her dresses on and walked up the stair to the room directly above hers. The person she found in that room shocked her more than anything.

She had to guess the boy who stood before her was about 10 years old, but the shy expression that he gave off made him seem a lot younger. His hair was a dusty brown and cut short causing it to have a sort of wave-like texture to it. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown, which gave them a type of edge that reminded her of a young boy who often got into fights. However Nellie didn't think that this boy could hurt anything if his life depended on it. He lifted his head to look at her and gave her a small grin, but you could hardly tell it was a smile.

"It's alright, nothing to be afraid of. I just came up to say hello." Nellie told him, reassuring him that she meant him no harm.

"I know… I figured I was going to meet you eventually," the boy whispered softly. Nellie wasn't even sure she heard him clearly because of how softly he spoke. "I'm Benjamin, but everyone calls me Ben."

_Ben, I like that. Short, sweet, and to the point… kinda like me_, she thought to herself. She held out her hand and he took it, shaking it very gently. "I'm Nellie," she stated. "Guess you and your folks are the ones renting out the place huh? It's really spectacular at night, you get one of the best views of the entire city from this one window." Nellie told him, indicating a large window towards the back of the room. Ben walked towards it and she followed closely behind him trying to figure out what it was that drew her most to him.

Ben looked outside of the window that seemed giant compared to the two of them and simply smiled. "Maybe you could come up here and watch the sunset with me tonight? If this window gives the best view of the city at night, then the sunset must be a glorious thing to see." Ben asked her over his shoulder. Nellie figured that he must be getting a bit more relaxed because his voice was starting to become louder.

"I'd love to Ben, thank you." Nellie told him, giving him a small smile before she headed back downstairs to help her parents around their shop, and then he headed to help his father with his business as well. Each were learning a different trade, she to be a baker and he a barber, but neither knew that that first encounter was the thing that would change their lives for good.


	3. A Sunset to Remember

**Well here's the third chapter of my Sweeney and Nellie story. Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this.**

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Chapter 3: A Sunset to Remember

Both of their parents had closed up their shops for the night when Nellie came knocking on Benjamin's door. His parents opened the door, much to her disappointment; she'd hoped that he would have rushed to the door once she knocked. "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Barker, is Benjamin in?"

"He's in his room right now, come on in." Benjamin's mother greeted her with a warm smile. "Benjamin's been expecting you."

Nellie beamed when she heard that. She made her way towards his room like she'd done almost every night since he first moved in a year and a half ago. They'd made an agreement with each other that they'd watch the sunset in his room since it provided the best view of it, aside of sitting on the roof.

"Come on in Nell." Ben said when he heard her knock the secret code that they'd come up with that previous summer. She walked into the room and found him sitting on the bed with a book and quill in his hand.

"Good evening Mr. Barker, still trying to pursue that writing career I see." Nellie said sarcastically. She knew Ben was willing to be a barber because he didn't want to disappoint his father, but his heart was more interested in writing than shaving.

"What have I told you Nellie? I don't want you calling me that… I'm not my father for God sakes," he said, laughing slightly. "And yes, I'm still pursuing the writing career. I've just hit a snag in the plot line that's all."

"Well, what's this one about? Maybe I can help you," she offered. Partially because she knew she could think up something to help him and partially so she could see what he was writing.

"Nice try. But you know I don't let anyone see my creations before they're done. You'll just have to wait a little longer. It'll be done soon anyways." Ben told her grinning. "But I can get back to this anytime, right now is our time together… and my last night here for a few months," he told her sadly.

"What do you mean, you're—you're leaving?" Nellie asked, shocked at his sudden announcement. _How could he just leave_, she thought. _We were becoming such great friends and now he's just leaving._ Nellie had hoped that he would be the one to stick around, the one who wouldn't just pack up and leave. While he had stayed longer than any of the other tenants, the news of his leaving still caused her heart to break in two.

"My father is sending me to visit some relatives in the countryside. But you had cut me off so quick that I couldn't finish telling you my news." Ben smiled at her trying to think of the right words to say. "Nellie, after we finish my last sunset in London until summer comes around… I want you to go downstairs and pack your bags."

"Why?" She was curious as to why he would ask her to do such a thing like that, it's not like she would be able to go with him.

"Because my father told me that this trip was one for me and a person of my choosing… I want you to come with me. I told my father my choice this afternoon, and he's already cleared it with your parents." Ben had known about the trip already for a few months and already told his father who his choice was a few days after finding out that he was leaving. But the hard part about it was keeping it a secret from Nellie.

"Are you serious? I- I'm coming with you?" Nellie couldn't have been more delighted. It was just going to be her and Ben for three months in the countryside. But she had to wonder whether he was really going to visit his relatives and just wanted her to come for company, or if he had something else up his sleeve. "Is the whole thing about going to visit relatives true," she asked him.

"Unfortunately that part is true. But it will be a lot better with the fact that you're going to be with me." Ben couldn't even make up something like that as an excuse to leave the city. He then draped his arm around her, catching her completely off guard. "But let's not focus on that right now, especially since were missing a beautiful sunset." Ben smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek causing her face to turn as red as the sunset in front of them. Except for going down to get her bags ready they pretty much spent the entire night into the early morning in his room together.


	4. Who is That Over There?

**Well here's the fourth chapter of my Sweeney and Nellie story. I introduce Benjamin's older brother and DUN... DUN... DUN... Nathan TURPIN (later Judge Turpin). Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this.**

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Chapter 4: Who is That Over There?

Ben and Nellie had been in the countryside for a few weeks when Ben saw someone he'd been trying top forget for the past two and a half years. Nellie sensed Ben's uneasiness around the young man standing in front of them and pulled Ben to the side, figuring something would go very wrong if she didn't.

"Ben? Ben, are you alright? What's the matter with you?" Nellie had never seen Benjamin act like this. What about that man caused Ben to become the cold, emotionless being that stood in front of her? "Can you hear me in there Ben," she asked looking into his eyes.

"Yes. I- I'm fine. I just seen someone that brought back some bad memories from back home… the home I had before I came to London." Ben told her, making sure he was specific about which home he was speaking of.

"Who is it?" Nellie was a little bit nervous now… she'd just seen her best friend turn into something that wasn't like him at all, almost alien, right in front of her eyes.

"My older brother… Travis Barker. I haven't seen him since I was eight years old." Ben kept trying to convince himself that the teenager walking a few yards away from him wasn't Travis, but it was no use. His brother's face was one that was forever planted firmly in his memory. But Travis wasn't walking alone, there was another young man a bit older than Travis, Ben had to guess that he was about sixteen or seventeen. "But who's the one walking with him?"

When Nellie got a good first look at Travis, she couldn't help but notice the fact that he was Ben's complete polar opposite. He seemed like a youth who was constantly getting in trouble and would have still had that smug grin on his face if he was sentenced to hang for a minor charge. He was tall, taller than Ben at least but only by a few inches, with long dirty blonde hair flowing down to his shoulders. His eyes were hard and cold as if he never showed any emotions whatsoever. The thing about him that she couldn't keep her eyes off though was the bottle of liquor in his hand. Then the trouble started, Travis and the other young man started to walk towards Nellie and Ben.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little baby brother Benjamin? Mum and dad send you down here to spy on me?" Travis's breath smelt of heavy liquor and Ben knew that he had to be careful when his brother was like this. So he just simply shook his head, smiled, draped his arm around Nellie, and the two of them began to walk off. Travis however was not about to be ignored. He quickly stepped in their way again before they could get very far. "You 'ard of hearin' now Benny?"

"No, just don't really want to talk to you right now Travis." Ben knew he was getting his brother mad as anything and he enjoyed it. He knew his brother to have a very short temper, but wanted to see just how long he could keep his fuse burning before Travis blew. Ben then turned his attention to the older one standing next to his pain of an older brother. "And who would you be, sir," he asked trying to sound as modest and humble as always.

"Nathan… Nathan Turpin," the young man told him, giving Ben an obviously painted smile. He was taller than Travis and his eyes were a deep brown like Ben's. Unlike Ben's, Nathan's eyes looked like they could have shot daggers. He had slight traces of stubble on his cheek. The real similarity between Nathan and Ben was that their hair looked identical, but other than that they couldn't have been more different.

"A pleasure to meet you sir." Ben was waiting for the explosion that would be coming any minute… Travis was a volcano ready to blow. Ben already knew how he was going to do it. "It has been a lot more peaceful at home since you walked out Travis. Oh wait- I'm sorry… you didn't walk out- dad told you to leave." Ben was having fun with this, but he didn't see his brother's fist coming towards him. Much to Nellie's relief, Nathan stepped in before Travis even laid a finger on Ben.

"Travis- he's not worth your time. Let's just go." Nathan must have been a master of words, because he actually convinced Travis to start to walk away. Then Nellie spoke up… very, very bad idea.

"Well, I see who makes the decisions when it comes to those two." Nellie didn't think that Travis had heard her, but he did. Ben looked up to see his brother walking towards them.

"Nellie, come on. Let's go before something goes wrong." Ben looked at her and for the first time she was actually seeing fear in his eyes.

"Ben, what's the matter?" Nellie had already seen Travis coming over but didn't really think anything of it. She didn't notice that he was walking over alone though.

"Nell, you don't know what he's capable of. I'm able to mess with him because I know him; I know what he can do." Ben turned to see Travis a few yards away with a fire in his eyes. Ben knew something bad was about to happen.

"What did you say?" Travis looked at the both of them; rage in his eyes. "I know I heard you say something. What did you just say?"

"We didn't say anything Travis." Ben told his brother; trying to hide the fear in his voice. "Why don't you just get out of here and leave us alone?"

"Nice try Benny, but I know one of you two said something." Travis grabbed his baby brother by the collar and pinned him up against a close tree. The more Ben tried to get away the tighter his grip would become.

"Travis… I'm telling you- we didn't say anything. So why don't you just leave us alone and get on your way." Ben had gotten over his fear and was heading for rage at the moment. Since his legs were the only things that weren't pinned to the tree, he kicked Travis in the shin. Ben dropped to the ground with a thud and his eyes instantly met Nellie's. "Run," he told her. "Get out of here… I don't want you getting hurt." She ran off far enough to where she wouldn't get injured if things got ugly- which she was positive that it would.

Travis ran up to Ben and hurled him straight to the ground. Ben started to lift himself up, only to be kicked in the stomach and be sent straight to the ground again. _Thank God I'm on grass… it's not as bad a cement._ Ben couldn't think anything other than that. He tried fighting

back but he was mostly just taking the beating in silence.

"Come on Ben, ain't you going to fight back… or are you too soft now?" Travis was getting tired of just watching Ben take the beating. By this point Ben's upper lip had gotten cut and was bleeding, he was bruised and scratched up, and had already spit blood once. Travis figured that his brother was only talking this and not fighting back like any normal boy would because of Nellie- she softened Ben up. He tripped Ben form behind, but his plan backfired on him. Ben landed on his arm and broke it. He let out a sharp cry and knocked out a minute or so later. Travis figured it was a combination of the pain and the blood loss. He ran off and Nellie then stepped out from where she was hiding.

Nellie had heard Ben take the beating from the one he was ashamed to call a brother. She had refrained several times from coming out and trying to help him. Nellie looked to see Ben lying on the grass unconscious with his arm lying off to one side. She ran over to him; praying that he was alright. "Ben, Ben say something… anything." Nellie had been by his side for a few minutes when Ben started to show signs of life. His eyes fluttered open and he seen her sitting next to him.

"Nellie, what happened," he asked; starting to sit up straight on the grass. He started to try to move his broken arm but only caused himself greater pain when he did. Ben looked around but saw no signs of Travis anywhere. "Figures, I get injured because of him and the little coward runs off. He hasn't changed a bit." He was still able to use his good arm to help him stand up but it was no easy task. "Come on Nell, let's get back. My relatives are going to want a doctor to look at this." She stood up and they began to head back, but Nellie still wondered what Ben meant when he said that Travis 'hadn't changed a bit'.

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**Well what do you think of Ben's brother? I'm thinking of bringing him back again later in the fic... any ideas how to use him? The person with the best idea will either get a free meat pie of thier choice or a free shave. P.M. me your ideas for Travis's next appearance.**


	5. Finding Out the Poor Boy's Past

**Well here's the fifth chapter of my Sweeney and Nellie story. Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this. By the way the winner of my little challenge for the previous chapter was JohnnyDeppisMyLovely... thank you for your imput.**

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Chapter 5: Finding Out the Poor Boy's Past

Nellie walked into the room where Ben was resting and looked at the injured lad with pity in her eyes. The incident between Ben and his brother Travis had happened nearly a month ago, but Nellie couldn't seem to forget it no matter ho hard she tried. Well, she supposed she could forget the whole thing if she really tried, but she was sure that she would never forget what he said regarding his brother. 'He hasn't changed a bit,' his words still echoed in her mind. Nellie knew she had to ask Ben about his past, if only to give her peace of mind as to why Ben acted the way he did around Travis. "Hey Ben," she gently tapped his good shoulder and Ben started to wake up.

"Hey Nell." Ben opened his eyes and smiled at her, but his smile quickly disappeared when he saw the look on her face. It was one of concern and pity, he was nervous since he'd never seen her like this. "What's the matter?"

"Ben, you and I really need to talk." Nellie was nervous about how Ben would react when she would ask him about his past, but they had grown very close over the past two years. Nellie viewed Ben as both a best friend and a brother.

"Alright," he told her. He sat up and made some room for her on the bed where he was resting. Ben viewed Nellie as a best friend and as a sister, much like she viewed him as a brother. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to ask you about Travis." Nellie waited for Ben to become the cold being he turned into that day at the park when he first saw Travis, but he didn't. Instead he looked as if he was thinking; just waiting for the perfect response to come to his mind.

"What did you want to know? I'm willing to answer anything." After he realized what he said, Ben couldn't believe that he was the one talking.

"What was your life like with him? I mean, you seemed a bit terrified when you first saw him that afternoon." Nellie looked into his eyes and hoped that he would actually tell her the truth and not just what she wanted to hear.

Ben sighed; he knew she was going to ask eventually, but he knew that he wouldn't be prepared to answer when she finally asked him. "It was a hard life with him. He was always drunk, and he and my father would always get into arguments. We were all sure he would go after my mother next if my father and I hadn't stepped in. Well, more or less my father; I wasn't much good in a fight since I was only about five or six. That's when he did a good amount of damage to me. My father didn't see it happen, and Travis had already run off by the time my father found me unconscious."

"That's what you meant when you said that he hadn't changed a bit?" Nellie finally understood. She'd always thought that her family had problems, but hers were nothing compared to what Ben was telling her. He told her everything. How his father ordered Travis to leave when Ben was eight and how his brother swore to come back one day. That's what gave his father the realization that he needed to move his family to a safer area. Then they spent the next two years of Ben's life moving from place to place before finally deciding to stay in the room above the humble pie shop in Fleet Street; Ben's current home. When Ben finished telling her everything she wanted to know the both had tears streaming down their faces.

"I'm starting to think that I might have told you too much right there." Ben told her, wiping his wet skin with the back of his hand and drying his eyes. _She probably thinks I'm crazy now_, he thought; trying to find some kind of excuse to change the subject. He reached under his pillow and pulled out an old, worn leather bound book and handed it to her. "I-uh… I finally finished that book I was working on. I wanted you to be the first to read it."

She opened it and smiled at him. "Thank you Ben." She noticed something somewhat interesting about the main character's name, it sounded so familiar to her, and then she realized where it came from. "You used your father's first name for one of the characters?"

"Yeah, actually most of the characters in there are based on people I know." Ben told her with a grin. "I really did put a ton of emotions into the main characters… that's why it took so long to finish it."

"Would you mind reading some of it to me? Just so I can get what the real emotions were supposed to be?" Nellie looked at him and smiled; she honestly thought it would have been fairer to him since they both would be able to enjoy it together.

"You really want me to?" Ben smiled back at her. She nodded and he let out a sigh then opened the book. "Alright." He opened to the first page and began to read the novel that took him a year and seven months to write. By the time Nellie figured that she was going to ask him to stop reading Nellie seen that there were only a few pages left in the entire novel… she'd just had him read the entire thing to her, but when he finished the last page he wasn't mad with the fact that she forgot to tell him to stop reading; in fact he looked extremely pleased. "So what did you think of it?"

"That was really good Ben. You should ask around the city when we get back home and see if anyone will publish it." She looked at him and hoped that he would take her advice; for all either of them knew it could grow to be one of the most popular novels in London.

"Maybe I will." Ben placed the book back under his pillow and they stayed there all night talking about the novel and other things in general.

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**Okay a little quiz for my readers, take your best shot... what book is Ben writing? Whoever gets it right will have the satisfaction of knowing that they are just that brilliant. Good luck to all. :D**


	6. Changes Come at Unwanted Times

**Well here's the sixth chapter of my Sweeney and Nellie story. No one guessed the name of the story, so you'll have to wait till the last chapter to find out what it was. Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this.**

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Chapter 6: Changes Come at Unwanted Times

It was finally Ben's thirteenth birthday. It should have been one of the best days in this young man's life (since this birthday started his journey towards "manhood"), but he was somewhat depressed… some would even say anti-social on that day. It was most apparent to Nellie, who had turned thirteen just a few weeks before. When she went upstairs to give Ben his present she was shocked to be told by his parents that he didn't want to see anyone at the moment. Ben had never shunned her like that before. Normally whenever he was in one of these depressed moods, and they were happening more and more as time went on, Ben wouldn't want to see anyone but Nellie… this time he didn't even want to see her. _I've got to find out what's going on… and I'll do that tonight_, she thought. It never once crossed her mind that there would be a time when Ben wouldn't want his best friend with him in tough times. What killed he most was that when she was leaving from upstairs… she could hear Ben crying softly in his room.

*Later that night*

Nellie had started to head up to Ben's room when she was stopped by someone sitting on one of the benches. She jumped slightly but calmed down once she was able to see his face… it was just Ben. "Jesus Ben, you scared the living daylights out of me."

"Sorry about that." Ben still wore a solemn expression, Nellie guessed it was probably the same expression he had this morning. "I'm also very sorry about this morning; my mother told me you came up to give me my present." Nellie still hadn't noticed it, but Ben was actually wearing her gift… a brand new gray jacket. It was kinda big on him now, but he knew he'd eventually grow into it.

"What was that about anyways?" Nellie needed to know what caused his behavior this morning. She was expecting to hear that someone in his family had died or something else that would make it logical for him to want to be alone, but the answer he gave her made no sense.

"My parents are sending me to school," he told her. Nellie really had to try not to start laughing. What was so bad about receiving an education?

"Well what's wrong with that? They want you to get an education so you can have a better future. That doesn't seem that bad to me." Nellie was taking this news a lot better than he thought she would… then again she didn't know the whole story.

"What's wrong with that," he repeated the question in complete shock. "Nellie, the school is on the other side of the city… my parents are sending me away." Ben looked at her, sadness in his eyes.

Nellie was shocked at his news… of the school was on the other side of the city then there was a small chance that she'd never see him again. "How long are you going to be there for?" Nellie was starting to figure out why he didn't want to see her this morning… it would have just been another reminder as to what he was leaving behind him when he left.

"I think my parents said I would be there for six years… but I would still come home for holidays and when school went on break." Ben knew she was trying to his her emotions, but he could see it in Nellie's eyes that her heart was breaking with each word his mouth uttered.

"Six years," she questioned. She knew he was serious by the way he nodded his head very slowly and almost painfully; somehow wishing that he didn't have to leave. "You promise that you'll come back when ever you can, right?" Nellie looked at him; tear welling up in her big beautiful brown eyes.

Ben pulled her close and held her tight in his arms; never wanting to let go of her. "Yes, I promise. Don't worry… I'll be back home before you know it." Ben could feel tears forming in his own eyes, but quickly blinked them away before they started to fall. It was going to kill him to leave all this behind him and head to school, but he knew he'd have to live with it for the time being until those six years were over.

Nellie was comforted by the fact that he was holding her; she really needed him to do that. The two of them stayed outside on that bench until their parents called them inside. They said their final good-byes, since Ben would be leaving early that next morning, and went inside. Each could hear the other walk into their room, lie on their bed, and cry themselves to sleep.


	7. Cupid's Arrow Strikes a Broken Heart

**Well here's the seventh chapter of my Sweeney and Nellie story. Sorry I haven't updated in so long, school has been taking over my life but I graduate in 2 weeks! WHOO! I introduce a certain blonde haired girl in this chapter... thats right Lucy is finally in the story. Unfortunely I do not own Sweeney Todd... if I did the story would have actually happened like this.**

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Chapter 7: Cupid's Arrow Strikes a Broken Heart

Ben had been at the school for nearly three months now and was adjusting rather well to his new surroundings. It turned out that it was within walking distance of the sea, so Ben always woke up to a nice sea breeze. The boy he was rooming with, Nicholas Hope turned out to be a very close friend to Ben; as did many of the other boys. There weren't that many young ladies at the school, but they did exist and they all seemed to have a crush on Ben; even though he had absolutely no interest in any of them. His heart belonged to Nellie and he was going to keep it that way. And it stayed that way until once chance meeting began to change that.

Ben and Nicholas had just gotten back to the school after taking a quick swim, their shirts gripping their wet bodies. Ben said his usual greetings to the girls who were swooning over him, and then he saw her. His heart skipped a beat, she was beautiful. Her blonde hair flowing perfectly and her crystal blue eyes had Ben hooked the moment he saw her. Nicholas didn't seem all that excited about this girl; to him she was just another girl who was going to start fawning over Ben.

"Who is she?" Ben asked him. He'd never seen her before… he would have remembered a girl like her.

"Don't know… guess she's new on campus. Why don't you go over and say hello; introduce yourself to her." Nicholas figured that Ben would go over there the minute the suggestion left his mouth, he was wrong. Ben started heading over there before he even got mid sentence.

Ben had never really been all that good around girls, but yet they all still seemed to find him irresistible. _This girl,_ he thought, _this girl's gonna be different._ He continued walking over to her and accidentally ran into her, causing her to drop her books, already off to a bad start. "I- I'm so sorry about that," he told her as he stooped down to pick up her books.

"It's alright. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going," she told him. They were both grabbing the books off the ground when they reached for the same book. When their hands touched they both looked up at each other and their eyes met for the first time. Ben found that her pure crystal blue eyes were even more beautiful close up, and she thought that his deep brown eyes were the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"I'm Benjamin by the way, Benjamin Barker. Everyone just calls me Ben though." Ben was trying not to be a complete and total idiot and was doing okay with the task, aside from knocking down her books.

"Lucy… Lucy Granger." Ben smiled and kissed her hand. She blushed; she'd never been treated so respectfully by a young man. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ben."

"The pleasure is all mine. Are you new here on campus? I can't say I've ever seen you around here before." Ben had finally gained his confidence back and was somewhat more relaxed. She's just so perfect, he began to think but why would she ever go for someone like me.

"I just arrived here last night… I was hoping to find someone who would show me around." Lucy was hoping Ben would catch on to the fact that she wanted him to be the one to show her around the campus. He did catch on very quickly, much to her relief.

"I'd be more than happy to show you around. It's fairly easy to get lost here if you don't have the right person showing you the way around this place." Ben was fully confident once again and showed her all around the campus; including a few shortcuts to some of the classrooms. By mid-afternoon he and Lucy were talking like they were old friends, instead of two people who had just barely been introduced to each other. As nightfall began to set in Ben walked Lucy to the room she would be staying in.

"Thank you so much for showing me around Ben. That was a lot of fun." Lucy didn't realize that she could have so much in common with a lad she'd just met that morning.

"It was no trouble really… I actually had a lot of fun as well," he told her. She opened the door to her room, gave Ben a quick kiss on the cheek, and then went inside. Ben walked back to his room with a bit more of a spring in his step that night and Nicholas didn't even have to ask what happened that day; he already knew good and well what happened.

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**Well, hope you guys liked the chapter. I'm trying to figure out how to relate Nicholas back to Anthony (just in case you didn't get the last name connection). Either PM or write your idea in your review I will use the best one when the time comes.**


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